If you are looking for live fishing bait, you could dig up some worms – or, you could use a bizarre trick involving vibrations to conjure earthworms out of the soil. Conor Knighton looks into a little-understood process known as "worm grunting."

Sopchoppy

Worm grunting is a time-honored technique in northwest Florida, where practitioners like Gary Revel use vibrations created by rubbing metal against wood to coax earthworms from the soil. This method, once shrouded in mystery, was scientifically explained in 2008 when researchers found that earthworms interpret the vibrations as a sign of predators, prompting them to surface.

Though the local worm industry has waned with the rise of artificial fishing lures, the tradition remains a source of community pride, celebrated annually at the Sopchoppy Worm Grunting Festival. While only a few families continue the practice professionally, enthusiasts like Revel maintain it as a cherished way of life.

The "magic" of worm grunting

The early bird gets the worm. That's why, just before sunrise, Gary Revel is wandering through the woods near Sopchoppe, Florida to stake out the perfect spot. He pounds a piece of wood, known as a staub, into a promising patch of soil and gets to work. After a few minutes of rubbing the top with a flat piece of iron, earthworms begin to emerge from the earth, where Revel's wife, Audrey, is waiting to snatch them up. Back at home, they'll clean and process the worms to sell as live bait. Those who buy them to catch fish may never know how their worm was caught. It's a process known as worm grunting, and this part of northwest Florida has been a hot spot for more than a century. For a long time, worm grunting really did feel like magic. Nobody was quite sure why this worked. In 2008, a Vanderbilt University study finally demonstrated that southeastern Diplocardia earthworms most likely perceived the vibrations to be a worm-eating mole digging toward them. And 99 times out of 100, the escaping worms would be right. But then, every once in a while... And they try to get out of the way of me, but some of them do, most of them don't. Revel grew up worm grunting for fun, then turned pro. While he only works part-time these days, he gets around 20 bucks a bucket. Worm grunting was once a real business around these parts, as our very own Charles Kuralt discovered in 1972. The casual passerby through sop choppy Florida, watching Jim Rosier at his daily occupation, would surely think he'd taken leave of his senses. But no, he's just doing what a lot of people do around sop choppy, grunting for worms. It was possible to work as a full-time worm grunter. Can people actually make a living at this? But not long after Kuralt stopped by, soft plastic fishing lures started to lure many people away from using live bait. The local worm industry declined. But by then, sop choppy had been given a brand. For the past 25 years, sop choppy has hosted a worm grunting festival. It's an excuse for the small town to throw a big party, celebrating its favorite invertebrate. There's a wiggle fun run, a gummy worm eating contest, a worm queen is crowned, and children get to give grunting a try. If you can inspire some of them kids to learn that maybe an office job ain't what I need, then not say worming, they might take up something like archaeology or some kind of outside occupation. Revell, who's 73, has taught his son Snap to grunt, but he knows there's not a new generation of professional grunters coming up. Me and Audrey and Snaps, one of the last families that does this, the whole process. And when we done, that's it. But Revell isn't planning on stopping any time soon. For him, spending time in the woods with the worms is a way of life. All your worries will go away, and it seems to be fun and a thing to do if you live in the woods. That doesn't get old for you? No. No, I got to go out there and see what them worms is up to. You wake up curious? Yeah, I ain't gonna forget about them, not overnight either.

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